During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a county magistrate surnamed Zhang who loved to drink alcohol. He usually had a white tin wine jug in his pocket, and he drank it wherever he went. Even in the court trial, he didn't forget to take out the jug and take a sip. He drank a person who was dizzy all day, and he was called the Drunk Old Master. On this day, a pair of compatriots came to the county yamen to file a lawsuit. The two brothers were called Amu and the younger brother was called Alin. They were both married and married, and they were separated. They used to get along very well, but not long ago, the old father died due to illness, leaving five acres of land. In order to divide the five acres of land, the brothers each held a reason and refused to give in to each other. Even the patriarch could not break up their family affairs, so they went to the county yamen to ask Drunk Old Master to make a decision.

The drunken master took the wine to the hall, and the yamen shouted at the hall's prestige. The drunken master looked at the two brothers and asked, "The land left by my father is divided equally between the two of you, why is there a dispute again?" Amu said, "My father gave me the land in private two years ago, and there is a document here." Alin hurriedly said, "I also have a document written by my father, and he has already promised me the land." Saying that, both of them presented the document, and the drunken master took it and read it carefully. The handwriting of the two documents is the same, neither of them has been altered, and they are all true and valid.

The drunken old man took a sip of wine and said, "It seems that your father must have secretly agreed to the second master because he was afraid that you would not be filial. From this point of view, your father is an old slick and disrespected, which caused your brothers to disagree. The third class of yamen obeyed the order and immediately went to dig the grave and cut the coffin, and whipped the old thing's body for twenty to warn the world."

The two brothers were shocked when they heard the master's judgment, and they were so anxious that they kowtowed as if they were messing with garlic, saying, "The eldest master is kind, and we can't do anything. If we fight a lawsuit and let fathers suffer such punishment, how can we have the face to live in the world?"

Old Master Drunk nodded and said, "Well, since you two have such filial piety, then you should be punished for your father!" Then he threw the token and shouted, "Send Amu and Alin to the brothers' prison and spend ten days in prison for their father!"

What is "Brother's Prison"? Amu Alin was confused, and only when he entered the cell did he know that the so-called "Brother's Prison" was like a grain hoard, with a cylindrical spire, no door and no window, and how high the two were from the ground to have a square entrance. The brothers watched in a daze, and the jailer shouted for them to sit in the hanging basket and hung them down from the square entrance.

The prison was dark and stinky, as if they were buried alive. The brothers came for the land, but they got into this living coffin! The more they thought about it, the angrier in their hearts kept rushing up, and they couldn't help but start their hands. But in the fight here, no one watched, let alone advised, and they fought, and both of them were so tired that they panted, and they stopped unconsciously, fighting back to back.

At this time, someone from above called for dinner, and the brothers hurriedly called to hang the meal down. Before they finished speaking, a jailer's head popped out of the square mouth and scolded, "It's beautiful to think about it! The uncle can't serve you. If you want to eat, come up, if you don't eat it, pull it down!" There were no ladders or stools in this prison. How tall were the two of them, who could go up? Don't you want to not call someone to eat? The brothers shouted and begged, but the jailer ignored them. After waiting a while, he picked up the rice bucket and left.

When dinner was served in the afternoon, the jailer still only shouted and did not hang up the meal. It was useless for the brothers to bow and bow. When the hour came, the jailer took the meal away again.

Hungry for a day and a night, the two of them had their chests attached to their backs, and no longer had the mood to fight, they began to answer and discuss how to eat in prison. In fact, there are not only ways, but also quite simple. To reach that mouth, only someone can lift the person and fold an arhat, but who is the "ladder" below? Amu said, "Who asked me to be the brother? I'll come"

It was finally time for dinner, when Ah Lin stepped on Amu's shoulder and finally touched the rice bucket. Just as he was about to carry it down, the jailer stopped him and scolded, "Don't you understand the rules? You can only eat here, and you are not allowed to take it down!" Helplessly, Ah Lin devoured and ate, but suddenly the soles of his feet were empty and he suddenly fell down.

When dinner started in the afternoon, Ah Lin, who had just been thrown, took the initiative to let Amu go up. Amu was very happy, but he didn't eat a few bites, and his feet were empty and he fell suddenly. Ah Lin said proudly, "Let you taste the taste of being thrown!" Whoever got on was thrown, and no one dared to get on again, so the brothers had to go hungry.

After being hungry for two more days, the two of them couldn't stand it anymore, so they discussed that if they continued like this, they would have to starve to death. It would be better to take turns between you and me, and I would go up and down, and hurry up and switch, so that they could eat half a full stomach. Therefore, the brothers promised each other that no matter who ate on it, the ladder below would not fall. In this way, when the meal was over, both of them could eat.

After eating together in this way, the brothers finally understood that between brothers, a fight would cause both injuries, and a fight would cause both.

In the blink of an eye, the ten days expired, and the brothers went to court again. Amu said, "Master, we will not fight this lawsuit. My brother and I have discussed that the land will be divided equally between the two families, and there will be no more disputes."

The drunken master sneered and said, "The lawsuit has been fought until now, do you want to stop fighting? No! Now, the master orders you to go home immediately and divorce your daughters-in-law!"

After sitting in prison, it doesn't count, but you have to divorce your daughter-in-law? What family rules is this? The brothers kowtowed in the hall like tampering with garlic, saying that their husband and wife were in love and could not be separated. They asked the master to take back their lives, but the drunk master ignored them at all, waved his sleeves, and retreated to the back hall to drink.

The Amu brothers returned home with frowning faces and passed on the word that Master Drunk wanted them to divorce their wives. The daughters-in-law of the two families were stunned for a moment, and then they realized the way. It turned out that the brothers were fighting, and it was their daughter-in-law who fanned the flames behind their backs. The eldest daughter-in-law said, "Master Drunk doesn't really want you to divorce your wives, but is worried that if the brothers are reconciled, the sister-in-law will make trouble behind their backs and quarrel again. We promise not to fight." The second daughter-in-law also said to her husband, "If you really demolish the house, it's not that you can't get anything? Then what are you fighting for? I won't fight in the future!" So, the brothers hurriedly brought their daughter-in-law to the county yamen, and the four members of the two families signed in court, and they drew

The drunken master drank a large mouthful of wine beautifully, looked at the contract signed by the brothers, nodded, but did not let go, and asked, "I heard that you each have a son, right?" When the brothers heard this, they were startled again, and Amu said with trembling: "The eldest master is clear, we do have a son, my family is ten years old, and my brother is eight years old." The drunken master said: "This master can take back the divorce of your wives, but you have to hand over your sons. Master, I will make a favor and give them to the beggar gang in this county and let them go as beggars!" The brothers cried bitterly in their hearts, and Alin asked, "Master, why is this?" Master Drunk said, "Your brothers don't fight anymore, your wives don't fight anymore, but you can't keep your sons from fighting in the future? Give them up to the beggar gang, beg for a living, and don't have the burden of land, and your two families will never have disputes again."

The two couples were frightened and knelt down together to beg for mercy, saying that they must discipline their sons well. If the two families file a lawsuit again, they are willing to suffer heavy punishment again. The two families opened their mouths four times, the husband sang and married, and the brother said that the younger brother followed, and they all spoke in unison, swearing and swearing to ensure that the generations would be reconciled. The drunken master was impatient and said, "You don't want your wife to leave, and you don't want your children to leave, so I can't judge this lawsuit!"

The eldest daughter-in-law's heart was bright, and she immediately said, "Master, my family doesn't want that land, just my son!" The second daughter-in-law immediately echoed: "My family also wants my son, not that land!" Amu also said: "That land is a scourge, it is better to donate it to the temple." A Lin followed; "You can also donate it to the government."

"Pa!"   The drunken old man was shocked, pointed at the brothers and scolded, "You two unworthy sons, how can you donate the hard-earned fields of your ancestors at will? Is this worthy of your ancestors?"

The brothers said in unison, "The land is used to support the family. If the son is gone, how can there be a home? What's the point of living? We would rather donate the land than give up our son!"

The drunken master sighed and said, "Okay, then I'll leave my son for you, and I'll take care of the land." The four of them heard this and hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude.

The drunken old man took out the wine jug again, drank a big mouthful beautifully, and said, "I think this place should be divided, let's leave it to your father!"

The brothers did not know whether to laugh or cry: "Master, our father is dead, do you still want the land?"

The drunken master said, "Your father is dead, he doesn't want to be sacrificed? I will judge that piece of land to be the field of sacrifice for your two families for generations. The two families will cultivate together, and the proceeds from cultivation will be used to worship their ancestors at four or eight festivals, and there will be no disputes forever."

The brothers finally understood that the drunk master was drunk and knew that the land was judged like this, not only did the two families reconcile, but the family relationship for generations would also be maintained by jointly cultivating the land in the future, and they would never be separated again. Therefore, the brothers fell down in the hall and gave the drunken master three heavy kowtows.